The following is a short excerpt from a Foodways Texas oral history project recounting the life of Houston barbecue legend, Joe Burney.

Karen Mayberry:
My father, Joe Burney was born March 5, 1903 in Baldwin, Louisiana. He moved to Houston and got a job “in service” which meant working as a driver, porter, manservant in those days. He worked for a man named Bob Smith. The Third Ward was a booming African-American business district in the late 1940s. My mom and dad saved their money and bought the Avalon BBQ in the 2700 block of Dowling–they owned it with two other black barbecue men, Oscar Lott and Bill Williams. The small BBQ joint was famous for ribs and links and my dad worked hard to build up a good reputation. He learned to cook juicy links from Matt Garner, one of the old-timers around here.

My dad used to drive around and give away barbecue to old folks who couldn’t get out of the house. When the Avalon burned down, he used the insurance money to build Burney’s BBQ on Holman—it became an iconic Houston African-American BBQ spot in the late 1940s. Unkie Lott started his own place called Lott’s Barbecue on Holman. Bill Williams opened another place on Scott. My mother and father cooked in the evening and worked their regular jobs during the day. The day crew sold the barbecue.

My father did very well, he bought some show horses and he was very proud of them. There was a group of black businessmen that supported each other. They formed a club called the El Dorado Social Club. It became the center of the social scene in the Third Ward. It’s still around today.

My father died October 12, 1958. I was 6 when my dad died. My mom ran the barbecue joint for a year, then sold Burney’s to Harry Green-my dad taught Harry Green to cook at Burney’s. I got a job as at Lott’s Barbecue when I was old enough to work. That’s where I met my husband Waymon Mayberry; he worked there too. I married a barbecue man, of course.

Joe Burney’s grandson, Warren Mayberry

Karen’s son Warren Mayberry, who works in public affairs in Austin, helped make the film titled Barbecue: A Texas Love Story narrated by Ann Richards. The movie debuted at the South by Southwest film festival in 2003.

Here’s some images by O. Rufus Lovett from last year’s Father’s Day BBQ at Millheim.
I’ll be out there early in the morning! Come say hello.
BBQ is served at 11 am–$10 a plate. Plenty of co’ beer on hand.
Gambling for homemade cakes.
See you there!

Cat Springs Agricultural Society has been holding a community barbecue out back behind the German dance hall for over 150 years.
This is the oldest barbecue tradition in Texas.

Here’s a message from Marilyn at Cat Springs Dance Hall for those who may want to come and take photos before the festivities begin:

C.H. Shayne Carter

“Actually the guys will be BBQing out back early in the day and the helicopter will be there in the afternoon and some drinks will be available about 2:00, but the actual meal will not begin until 5:00 p.m. The auction starts at 6:30. In the auction we will have some homemade quilts and baked goods and there are always some interesting things. The cake walk will begin as soon as there are enough people through eating to play.

The free dance is from 8:30 until 12:30 in the evening. The band is called The Hit Men and they play a mix of some polka, country and a little bit of everything if you ask for it. Bring a crowd with you. There will be booths to browse through and some childrens games with a bounce house at no charge.

A three meat plate at the Millheim Father’s Day BBQ comes with veal, pork and mutton.

There are several community barbecues that take place in April and a few more in May. The Father’s Day BBQ in Millheim is my favorite–although I have many more to check out!

Stirring BBQ Gravy in a Cast Iron Washtub

The oldest barbecue tradition in America, the community barbecue, continues largely unnoticed in churches, clubs and lodge halls. Many of the pits are ancient, the cooking methods are traditional and the barbecue is generally excellent. Check out a community barbecue near you, it’s worth the trip! If you love to barbecue, why not volunteer to help keep this tradition alive?

Please post additional listings and information about community barbecues in the comments section of this website so we can update the calendar.

Dumas Dogie Days
2nd Saturday of June
McDade Park, Dumas, Texas
BBQ 11:00 am tickets are $8.00 until day of BBQ, then go
up to $9.00 the day of BBQ.

7600 pounds of meat cooked in a covered pit with 15 cords of wood for 24 hrs.
40 gallons of barbecue sauce, 800 pounds of beans 200 pounds of onions, 228 gallon cans of peaches
300 loaves of bread. Also 14.500 hamburgers are served at the hamburger stand.
Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 people are fed at the barbecue every year.
First Dogie Days was held in 1946.